March 18, 1997

POTENTIAL LICENSING OF BICYCLE COURIERS IN TORONTO

by joe hendry

On Monday, February 24, 1997 Toronto City Council passed a motion for the staff to prepare a report on the potential licensing of bicycle couriers in the City of Toronto. The report was to explore this licensing on a cost recovery basis. These costs must be properly defined costs and not just dollar costs. A licensing system "should be adopted if its properly defined costs outweigh its properly defined benefits - not otherwise." The benefits and costs of a licensing system must be defined not as an increase or decrease in monetary terms but "as a gain or loss in welfare of all members" of the city. The welfare of the residents of Toronto is affected by many different things some of which include pollution, stress, traffic congestion, road safety, road quality, unemployment, inflation, growth and efficiency of government and business.

Council must also consider the effect of licensing on other goals and policy measures. They must also consider alternative approaches to achieve these goals. Even if licensing passed a benefit-cost test other measures may be more effective and efficient.

The licensing of bicycle couriers is a complex decision that must be carefully examined with the participation of all those affected. Council must gain a complete understanding of the bicycle courier industry and the effect of licensing not only upon the industry but also upon the welfare of all Toronto's residents.

BACKGROUND

Many people have the perception that the bicycle courier industry is a fly by night industry that was forced upon them in the 1980's but will soon disappear as people become more confident in fax machines, e-mail and the internet. Like most perceptions about bike couriers, it is false.

Bicycle couriers have been an important asset to the delivery of information for over a century. In the late nineteenth century, Western Union and the United Parcel Service used bike messengers to deliver urgent telegraphs and packages. In San Francisco, "messengering officially started in 1894, when a railway strike halted mail delivery for the area. An ingenious bicycle shop owner in Fresno came up with the idea to deliver it by bicycle. He set up a relay between Fresno and San Francisco, with six riders covering about thirty miles each. Other local businesses started to catch on to the idea that the bike was an extremely efficient way to get products to their customers."

The popularity and speed of the automobile in the early and mid part of the twentieth century led to a decline in the use of bike couriers. Ironically, the rise of the modern day bike courier came about as a result of western society's reliance on the automobile. As residents of large cities grew more dependant on cars for transportation, they designed cities that mainly supported their dependence. These urban designs discouraged all other means of transportation. By the late 1960's and early 1970's the large number of cars in the central core of major cities led to pollution, congestion and gridlock that resulted in an inability to move information quickly. Bicycle couriers began to re-emerge in large urban centres as a solution to these problems.

The creative community in New York City were the first to support "Can-Couriers", the first all bike service that carried film cans around the city. In San Francisco the first all bicycle service was started in 1945, as "Sparkie's". It later became "Aero" and is still in business today. These bicycle messengers were a new breed that could not be pigeon-holed or stereotyped. They wore jeans and t-shirts rather than caps and bow ties. Many were artists who looked to the profession as a flexible means of employment that afforded them the freedom to pursue their art. The list of former bicycle messengers who have become well known is numerous and includes singer Sade (London), actress/comedienne (Saturday Night Live) Janeane Garafolo (Boston), 1984 Olympic silver medalist Nelson Vails (New York), and musician Ron Sexsmith (Toronto). Not all messengers however are artists. The bike courier industry welcomes people from all cultures, races, and professions. There are former homeless people, squeegee kids, refugees, lawyers, accountants and stockbrokers. The list could include most professions. It also boasts future athletes, professionals, artists, politicians and community leaders.

The first all bicycle courier company in Toronto was "Sunwheel Bicycle Couriers". It was established in 1979 and at one time employed over 50 bike messengers. In the early 1980's other courier companies added bicycle service to their automobile service and today their are over fifty courier companies that employ between 350 and 450 bike messengers in Toronto.

THE BICYCLE COURIER INDUSTRY

The bicycle courier industry is a modern sweat shop industry. In Toronto, almost all bicycle couriers are considered independent contractors. This designation is an industry practice and has never been supported by the law. In fact, in the United States the Internal Revenue Service considers messengers employees even though the industry generally follows the same practices as Toronto. As a result, the IRS goes after messenger companies one at a time to force them to comply.

Bike couriers are often forced by their employers to sign contracts stating that they are self-employed. These contracts are one-sided and provide benefits and protections to the companies but none to the messengers. Bike messengers receive no protection from employment standards and labour laws. They are paid a commission on each package delivered. There is no minimum wage. Couriers receive no benefits. They are not eligible for unemployment insurance or workers compensation. They can be fired with no notice. Bike messengers rely on their company to supply them with enough work to survive. Many companies overhire messengers, resulting in some people making much less than minimum wage. Messengers are charged for their two-way radio every day, regardless of whether they are off sick. If a messenger misses a day for any reason, they will not be paid for that day but will be charged for the radio. Some companies make money just by having so many messengers from which they can collect radio charges. Some firms will charge the messengers radio charges even if the messenger supplies his own radio.

Bike couriers have no control over the price for their service. A company can slash prices, offer a discount to new clients or offer service free of charge and there is nothing the messenger can do -except quit. And even then, if the messenger quits the company may attempt to hold their last cheque for a period of time, as punishment.

Many companies do not provide detailed records of their commissions to the messengers. This practice exposes the messengers to fraud by their companies. A company can charge the client $10 for a call, and report to the messenger that they only charged them $6. The messenger would receive commissions on the $6, when he (she) should receive commissions on the $10.

Many companies pressure messengers into unsafe practices that put the couriers in danger. For example, they may 'ask' messengers to take boxes on their handlebars. If the bike couriers refuse they may be punished by a lack of work, or a series of low paying calls, or even termination on the spot.

THE BENEFITS OF BICYCLE COURIERS

Bicycle messengers provide a valuable service to the business community. They are viewed as solutions to many of the problems in the downtown core of urban centres, such as gridlock and pollution. Couriers provide a value added service that continuously improving firms seek out as a means to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The messenger is one of the most important links in the delivery of information for the business community.

The presence of bike couriers in the urban centres provide corporations with a safety net. The "laws of human procrastination" and the errors of employees heighten this importance. When an organization is in danger of missing a deadline or must be rescued from its own inefficiencies, the bicycle courier is summoned to deliver information in a secure and safe manner. As a result, stress in the workplace of downtown firms is reduced by their confidence in the bicycle messenger.

Bicycle couriers' importance to cities increase every day. Traffic jams , gridlock and the increased presence of film companies on Toronto's streets point to a greater reliance on the messenger solution. Insightful people recognize that as business firms rely more and more on technology, the bike courier becomes more important in the areas of privacy and security. A passage from William Gibson's "Virtual Light" illustrates this point effectively:

"[the bicycle messenger] earned her living at the archaic intersection of information and geography. The offices [the messenger] rode between were electronically conterminous - in effect, a single desktop, the map of distances obliterated by the seamless and instantaneous nature of communication. Yet this very seamlessness, which had rendered physical mail an expensive novelty, might as easily be viewed as porosity, and as such created the need for the service the [messenger] provided. Physically transporting bits of information about a grid that consisted of little else, [the messenger] provided a degree of absolute security in the fluid universe of data. With your memo in the [messenger's] bag, you knew precisely where it was; otherwise your memo was nowhere, perhaps everywhere, in that instant of transit."

Bicycle couriers provide solutions to the environmental problems related to many forms of pollution such as air, noise and smell. The more couriers on bikes there are, the less cars there are and therefore the less carbon dioxide emissions. More bikes mean less noise and stench. Bike messengers not only pollute less but also take up less space on the road and do less damage to the roads than cars. More bike couriers means less gridlock and fewer road repairs. As a result more bike couriers mean better conditions and streets for all road users including motorists.

Bicycle couriers increase the safety of pedestrians compared to cars. Studies show that pedestrians are "250 times as likely to be injured by a car, bus or taxi" than a bike.

Bicycle messengers are ambassadors of goodwill for the city. Tourists often approach couriers for their help with directions and information about Toronto. Many times, couriers are among the first persons on the scene of downtown accident and they ensure quick response by reporting it.

Bike couriers provide a link between many of Toronto's homeless people and the rest of the downtown core. Many couriers know homeless people by name. In return, many of the city's homeless recognize the efforts of messengers and voice their encouragement. Every courier knows "bad weather sets the stage for heroic aspects of messengering" and in the winter there is a mutual respect between the messengers and the homeless as they are among the few people brave enough to endure the harshest conditions. In the summer, a little bit of street theatre puts smiles on the faces of tourists and office workers as 'Crow', one of Yonge Streets permanent residents, shouts "Ride Like the Hell's Angels" to almost every bike courier who passes.

Bicycle messengers can be called upon to provide emergency services in the delivery of information. After the big earthquake in Kobe Japan, bicycle messengers were the only way to transport information anywhere . San Francisco is planning to give free emergency response training to messengers and is working with the messenger community to provide emergency services in the event of an earthquake or any other major disaster. One messenger has recently joined the International Red Cross in war zones. He presented them with the idea that instead of training medics on bikes, they take couriers, who already posses professional riding skills and train them as crisis medics.

Bicycle messengers have developed a popular cultural identity. They "colour the urban environment". Couriers are the subject of novels, films, documentaries, television series, songs, even operas and anthropological studies. In New York City, tourists look for the best place to watch the messengers. In Germany, some messengers have their own sports card like other athletes and others are asked to pose for women's magazines.

Through innovative style and function, bicycle couriers have been an inspiration to fashion designers, musicians and artists. They are a source of information for new commuters and tourists. They have customized their bikes, locking techniques and winter riding skills to suit the urban environment. They are year round cyclists who promote the bicycle as a viable form of transportation. They illustrate the possibilities and opportunities for the bicycle in the economy of the future.

Even the police have learned from bike couriers. The first and most famous police bicycle patrol in the United States was started after two officers in Seattle, Washington observed messengers in traffic. They watched as bike messengers navigated their way through the gridlock, while all the cars remained stuck and frustrated.

The healthy lifestyle that comes from life on a bike convinced the federal health department to contribute $250,000 to the production of the television series, "Liberty Street". The health department wanted to promote healthy living to youths and felt that the bike messenger character on the show would appeal to them.

One of the most overlooked benefits of bicycle couriers is that they represent an embodiment of the human spirit that triumphs. As our society relies more on technology and people interact less, the courier "has a way of bringing a small slice of humanity into what is often an affronting urban existence." The bicycle courier is viewed as a folk hero, the ultimate urban man or woman, tough, resourceful,"riding against the odds the city stacks against everybody". Bike couriers are survivors, as one motorist noted -"they are harder to kill than cockroaches." Most of all the messenger must be perceived as a solution not a problem.

BIKE COURIERS AND THE COMMUNITY

Bicycle couriers have wide and varied relationships with their communities. The stereotyped image of the messenger as a kamikaze road warrior in New York City has led some people to despise and discriminate against them. Others have valued their professional skills and their potential resourcefulness to the community. The San Francisco messenger community illustrates the possibilities.

• The city has a Bike Messenger Appreciation Day on October 9 every year (10-9 day).
• Gold Mountain Courier was created in 1984 to help refugees on public assistance gain employment and learn the streets of their new city.
• Bicycles for Afghan Amputee Rehabilitation (BAAR) is a San Francisco organization supported by couriers in many cities, that donates bikes to Afghanistan to aid amputee refugees from the war.
• The annual AIDS ride uses bike messengers in a fashion show to promote the ride.
• Messengers collect and deliver toys for needy kids at Christmas time

Toronto's relationship lies closer to San Francisco than New York. The Toronto City Cycling Committee and the police bike squad help to provide some understanding of riding bikes on grids that were designed for cars. The bike courier community here aids charities, such as St. Stephen's House through the annual "Courier Classic". It pits couriers in a race against the police bike patrol and firefighters. They produce their own independent magazine and are among the leaders of the international bike messenger community. Toronto's couriers invented the "Alley-Cat" races, which started out as illegal, outlaw, messenger races that replicated the courier's work day, with the entire city as the course. These races have evolved into sometimes legal races such as the Temperance Dash (in celebration of Yonge St.'s 200th anniversary), the Cycle Messenger World Championships (hosted by Toronto in 1995 and now in its fifth year), and the Human Powered Rollercoaster. Many of these events attract corporate sponsorship and couriers from all over the world. The Human Powered Rollercoaster is the latest incarnation. It was put on by Toronto's couriers last Halloween in Vancouver. It returns to Toronto each April and will bring messengers from all over as participants and tourists.

LICENSING BICYCLE COURIERS

The desire by city council to license bicycle couriers comes from incorrect perceptions and misunderstandings about the bicycle courier industry. There are no studies or statistics to show that bicycle couriers cause accidents or injury to themselves or others.

The licensing of messengers often comes up as a compromise to the licensing of all cyclists. Cities study the licensing of cyclists. The studies clearly show that it is not feasible or effective. Motorist and pedestrian groups become upset and the city offers up couriers as sacrificial lambs. Even some bicycle advisory groups support the sacrifice, that is until the couriers are studied. Some cyclists feel that couriers give them a bad image and if couriers did not exist, motorists would treat them better. One of the most important reason couriers have an image problem is because they ride bikes on the road. Cyclists have suffered image problems from the beginning. Even the hobby horse, the bicycle ancestor, suffered the same problems.

Another reason couriers suffer from a bad reputation is that they are easily identifiable. One of the most basic rules of safety on the road for any road user is - be seen. A study on the Safety of Bicycle Couriers prepared by the Societe de l'assurance automobile du Quebec on February 13,1992 (and revised on April 8, 1992), concluded "it is reasonable to assume that [couriers] behaviour draws attention mainly because their clothing and bag (often bearing the company name or courier service logo) make them more visible". In fact couriers "have no more of a propensity for accidents per kilometre travelled than other bicycle riders; the difference in mishap rates between the two groups might well be statistically insignificant. for that reason, caution is advised in imputing accident risk to couriers in order to justify specific intervention targeting this type of road user."

When the city of Ottawa studied licensing couriers, it noted the above report in its decision not to proceed. They also addressed the problem of identification noting that "concerns respecting the promotion of safe cycling and compliance were addressed by the Province on 1990 January 12 when the Highway Traffic Act was amended to require any cyclist to provide personal identification at the request of a Police Officer. The Police may lay charges on the basis of that identification for infractions under the H.T.A. or any municipal by-law regulating traffic.

The potential licensing of couriers in Toronto arose out of city councils' discussion on "enhancing bicycle safety". The deaths of city cyclists last summer focused attention on safety on the roads. It should be noted that in the last ten years only one out of seventy cyclists that were killed was a bicycle courier. People are surprised by this statistic not only because bicycle messengers' jobs are very dangerous but also because of the public's perception that couriers are not safe riders. The truth is that only one courier has died because they are professionals who rely on safe riding techniques and their heightened awareness to stay alive.

Licensing bike couriers would not have saved Erin Krauser or Martha Kennedy from death. It would not even save one courier. To quote the Board of Management Report that generated the discussion of enhancing bicycling safety:

"Enforceable traffic regulations for cycling (including couriers) already exist in the Ontario Highway Traffic Act and the Toronto Municipal Code...both the Metropolitan Chief of Police and the Ontario Minister of Transportation advised that licensing cyclists would be very costly and would add little, if any value, for enforcement purposes...Police resources should be directed at enforcement of existing traffic laws rather than ensuring that cyclists have a license."

If licensing all cyclists would not add value for enforcement purposes then why would licensing couriers be any different? Bike couriers are a highly visible, easily identifiable group. They are an easy target for those who are anti-cyclist.

Is there a problem with couriers evading police? No, of course not. The bicycle courier's office is the downtown core of Toronto. He (she) returns everyday. If a courier evades police, all the officer needs to do is return downtown and wait for the messenger to appear.

Bike couriers are service oriented professionals with a strong work ethic. Their behaviour on the road is determined by many things - none of which will be affected by a license. Messengers ride according to traffic, the demands placed upon them by their client, and their own skill. Unsafe behaviour by other road users puts the messenger in danger and sometimes leads to complaints about couriers. Most of the traffic violations in the downtown core do not involve bicycle couriers but have a direct effect on their safety. Illegal parking, jaywalking, motorists using cell phones and driving in the Bay Street clearway are by far the most numerous. A messenger must deal with each of these and often all of these at the same time. Many messengers tell stories of motorists opening their doors without looking, hitting the courier and then lecturing the courier about his or her recklessness. Pedestrians cross in the middle of the block and expect the bike courier to stop for them. When the messenger refuses to give up the speed and the right of way that he (she) has earned over the last few blocks, the pedestrian complains.

If a client demands a package in an unreasonable time frame, messengers must determine the fastest route for delivery. It is not in the couriers' interest to put themselves in any more danger than they already are. Those who break traffic laws without any regard for safety end up in an accident. As a result they either learn from their experience and ride safer or they leave the profession. Licensing will have no effect because the worst offenders will be long gone before their license can be suspended.

Taxi drivers illustrate the effect of licensing on road behaviour. Licensing has had no effect on their driving behaviour because licensing does not work. At present, the taxi industry in Toronto is "in a mess". Licenses have become assets which are "traded like monopoly cards." A recent report slammed the Toronto's taxi industry claiming "dirty cars, too many cabs and too many poorly trained drivers." Licensing bike messengers is merely an attempt by politicians to sidestep normal law enforcement channels.

PROBLEMS WITH LICENSING COURIERS

Licensing bike couriers will lead to more bureaucracy, red tape and problems with other industries. If bicycle messengers are licensed, some courier companies will opt for more cars than bikes downtown to avoid the increased costs. This will lead to more pollution, congestion and other problems related to the automobile. Licensing will be a barrier to entering the profession. It will increase costs to individual couriers, many of whom earn a meagre living in the first place. It will lead to increased unemployment and welfare roles. It will mean increased costs to the clients of courier companies with no added benefit thereby increasing inflation. The city will also have to bear the burden of administering the programming and the police will have to enforce it. Licensing will lead to increased enforcement and court costs. Messengers already feel discriminated against. The perception of further discrimination will result in them fighting every ticket received.

If licensing was to proceed it must be for all commercial cyclists. It cannot discriminate. What about automobile couriers and other delivery vehicles of items such as fast foods? Statistics show that pedestrians are "250 times as likely to be hit by a car, bus, or taxi than a bike". If couriers are licensed, it is only fair that their livelihood be protected. No one should be permitted to pick up a package without a license. Taxis would be required to obtain a courier license if they carried packages.

The type of license must be determined. Many questions must be answered.

• Who must obtain the license, the bicycle messenger or the messenger company?
• How long is the license for?
• Is the license for the bike or for the cyclist?
• Who receives the fine? What kind of punishment?
• Is the courier company responsible for the behaviour of its subcontractors?
• What kind of enforcement? Can people just accuse messengers of wrongdoing? What kind of evidence is required? Is there an appeal process?
• Is a test required?
• Will couriers' bike licenses be separate from their drivers' licences or will they be punished twice for infractions on a bike but only once for infractions in a car?
• Will the licenses affect the couriers when they are not at work, on their day off, after work hours etc?
• What about cyclists who look like couriers. Will they be harassed?

Licensing of bicycle couriers is an ineffective solution to enhancing bicycle safety. It leads to more problems including harassment. New York City has licensed and insured bike messengers for many years. The only effect has been the reduction of bike messengers from a high of about 7,000 to 4,000. Some blame the fax machine and other technology, but over the same period Toronto has seen an increase in bike couriers from 85 to about 350. The failure of licensing to increase safety in New York led to the bike ban of 1987. New York passed a law banning bicycles from the financial district in Manhattan between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. The law only lasted one hour before it was struck down. In 1992, messengers were again the target of a bill that was eventually defeated. It proposed the confiscation of commercial cyclists' bikes if they were suspected of any traffic violation. New York has taken the wrong approach. There is very little enforcement of any traffic laws there. The only education offered to any cyclist in New York is a flyer explaining the traffic laws as they pertain to cyclists. A bike messenger dies every single year in New York City. Three died in 1994 alone.

In Washington D.C. bike messengers are required to register their bikes. Police often "raid" Dupont Circle - a messenger hangout. They show up in paddy wagons, confiscate unregistered bikes and toss them in the paddy wagon. On June 12, 1992 the U.S. park police conducted a confiscation raid against bike messengers hanging out after work at Dupont Circle. The S.W.A.T. team used the registration law as a ruse to remove the couriers from the park. Police confiscated 15 unregistered bikes. One officer pointed his baton at the chest of a courier and yelled "Drop the fucking bike!" The courier replied, "It's not loaded." Although non-registration is a $5 traffic offence, in this case it was treated as a criminal offence. The couriers had to pay $25 fines. With media attention and support from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Superior Court returned the fines and dismissed the criminal charges.

In San Francisco, on March 18,1993, police cracked down on messengers. In two hours, 51 messengers were cited for not having a license. Police gave the reason for the crackdown as complaints from the public regarding riding on the sidewalk and hanging on to cars. Couriers noted the coincidence to the previous days events when an officer on a bicycle tried in vain to pull over a messenger for a traffic violation. After giving up the chase the officer went to two popular messenger hangouts to announce "that something big was going to happen" and there would be "hell to pay" the following day.

In Vancouver B.C., messengers are required to have license plates on their bikes at all times, wear helmets, take a city run test and are specifically allowed to be arrested without a warrant. The couriers' clothes get caught on the license plates and tear. Messengers bend the corners of the plates to stop the damage and are subsequently ticketed by police for doing so. With all these measures, complaints against bicycle couriers are still the number two complaint to the police. Licensing has had no effect and police have turned to harassment. Vancouver couriers have formed the Vancouver Bicycle Courier Association (VBCA) and are consulting a lawyer regarding a selective harassment suit against the police.

In Boston, messengers are required to wear special jerseys. In 1996 police began citing the messengers for obscuring the jerseys with their messenger bags. The couriers then cut up their jerseys and sewed them to their bag so they were not obscured. Then the police ticketed them for not wearing their jerseys.

Bike messengers are harassed all over the English speaking world. Australia has proposed a $1000 bond for foreign couriers to offset any fines they may receive while there. In Sydney, Australia, off duty police officers are paid extremely well to ticket couriers.

New York City bike messenger Seth Amgott in a letter to the New York Times, entitled, "For the Bicycle Messenger, No Roadbed of Roses" illustrates the messenger's dilemma:

"Like the Jews of medieval Europe, messengers make an objective contribution to the local economy, but are viewed as utterly foreign, existing tenuously on official tolerance punctuated by specific harassment. Some of us on the margins of traffic are from the margins of society as well, lacking tact and communication skills, and would not otherwise be in corporate midtown - or decently employed."

All of these cities devoted so many resources in response to complaints against bicycle couriers who are just trying to make a living in a profession that is dangerous but legal. Perhaps the complaints should be carefully investigated. They are often based as much on misconceptions as they are on fact.

A BETTER APPROACH

Licensing bicycle couriers does not work. It adds no value to enforcement and leads to harassment. Bicycle couriers should be treated no different than other cyclists. The same recommendations apply. Education is a better approach. Bicycle couriers rely on their skills to survive. The development of these skills and safe riding techniques should be encouraged. Positive rewards work much better than special tickets and fines.

CAN-BIKE should be offered for free, to encourage couriers to enroll. A plan to market and tailor a CAN-BIKE program specifically for couriers should be developed. An attempt to train and certify bike messengers as instructors must be made. The more messenger instructors there are the more likely more messengers will take a CAN-BIKE course.

Toronto should work to educate the public on the benefits and contributions of bicycle couriers. A balanced picture of them may help to break stereotypes.

Bicycle messengers should be encouraged to offer their skills to the community. The positive aspects of their image could be used to help children and charities. It would have the added benefit of improving the bike courier's image.

Courier companies should be pressured into paying all messengers a daily minimum. A guaranteed minimum would discourage companies from overhiring. It would lead to better treatment of messengers and less pressure to break traffic laws.

A Bike Messenger Appreciation Day would help to achieve the overall goals. It could be used to promote CAN-BIKE to the couriers. It would celebrate the benefits bicycle couriers bring to the community and educate the public about their profession. It would send a signal to messengers that the city wants to work with them rather than license and harass them.

The city should encourage the courier community to set up a viable working professional association to help correct misconceptions about couriers, to educate couriers, to improve working conditions and to promote bicycle use in general.

IMPLEMENTATION OF A COURIER SOLUTION

The study, implementation and administration of a licensing system for bicycle couriers would be a costly endeavour for the City of Toronto. A more inexpensive and effective solution would be to provide seed money and support to a Professional Bike Courier Association.

The association would encourage couriers to complete a CAN-BIKE course. This could be accomplished by offering the course for free to the couriers - at least initially. The association could attempt to certify some couriers as CAN-BIKE instructors who would in turn train their contemporaries. The certified instructors and other courier graduates of the course would help the CAN-BIKE course evolve into one that was tailored to the skills necessary to succeed as a bicycle courier.

The association would be a non-profit corporation run mainly by messenger volunteers. The would raise their own funds from as many sources as possible.

Every bike messenger in the city would automatically be a member in the association. They would achieve "associate member status" as soon as they were employed as a messenger. Once a courier completed a CAN-BIKE course (and perhaps an amount of time working as a courier) they would achieve "Professional Bike Courier" status.

Courier companies would be encouraged to employ a certain percentage of messengers that had achieved Professional Bike Courier status. The association would in return award companies that met the minimum standards "Professional Bike Courier Company" status. The association would publish and inform the public through newsletters and press releases of the companies that earned professional status and those that have not. The association would also inform members and the public about companies who have questionable practices. Companies could also encourage couriers to enroll in a CAN-BIKE course by offering them a guaranteed daily minimum pay or a bonus after completion.

The association could issue some kind of identification (for example a sticker placed on a bike) to professional members that was visible to the public. This would not be a license. It would not identify the messenger personally. It would only serve to identify the courier as a professional member of the association. This may help to attach some status to the professional messenger. The public could complain to the police or the city or the association about professional members' behaviour. Complaints could be tracked by non-professional members vs professional members to evaluate the success of this approach.

A Bike Messenger Appreciation Day declared by the city would bring attention to the efforts of couriers, courier companies and the courier association to promote professionalism and safety in the industry. It would legitimize the professional association. It would promote both bike culture and courier culture. The day would be on October 9 (10-9 is the radio code for 'what' or 'say again') in order to coincide with other Messenger Appreciation Days throughout the world. This day would focus attention on bikes at a time of year when people are thinking about putting their bikes away for the winter. This added attention could be used to promote winter cycling and to promote the use of bikes in other areas of the economy. It could be used to promote CAN-BIKE, SPACE and safe cycling. It could include an award ceremony for couriers and companies that achieved "professional" status.

The appreciation day could serve as induction ceremony for a Bike Courier Hall of Fame, operated by the association. Messengers and others would nominate anyone who contributed in a special way to the courier community or a courier who contributed to the community at large. The first year would see something like three or five inductees to gain added attention. Every year after would see one.

The association could explore ways for messengers to help out in the community. They could aid charities, foster relationships with other bike groups, transportation groups and environmental agencies.

The professional bicycle courier association would accept responsibility for its members. It would provide city council with an opportunity to enhance bicycle safety in a much more effective and inexpensive manner than licensing. It would encourage the use of bicycle couriers rather than discourage their use.

UPDATE - August 1997